EP3199251B1 - Ultrasonic transducer and ultrasonic probe including the same - Google Patents

Ultrasonic transducer and ultrasonic probe including the same Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3199251B1
EP3199251B1 EP16202978.9A EP16202978A EP3199251B1 EP 3199251 B1 EP3199251 B1 EP 3199251B1 EP 16202978 A EP16202978 A EP 16202978A EP 3199251 B1 EP3199251 B1 EP 3199251B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
layer
piezoelectric layer
dematching
thickness
ultrasonic transducer
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EP16202978.9A
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German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
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EP3199251A1 (en
Inventor
In-seong SONG
Dong-Hyun Kim
Gil-Ju Jin
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Samsung Medison Co Ltd
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Samsung Medison Co Ltd
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B06—GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL
    • B06B—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, e.g. FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL
    • B06B1/00—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
    • B06B1/02—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy
    • B06B1/06—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction
    • B06B1/0607—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using multiple elements
    • B06B1/0622—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using multiple elements on one surface
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B06—GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL
    • B06B—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, e.g. FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL
    • B06B1/00—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
    • B06B1/02—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy
    • B06B1/06—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction
    • B06B1/0644—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B06—GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL
    • B06B—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, e.g. FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL
    • B06B1/00—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
    • B06B1/02—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy
    • B06B1/06—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction
    • B06B1/0644—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element
    • B06B1/0648—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element of rectangular shape
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B06—GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL
    • B06B—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, e.g. FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL
    • B06B1/00—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
    • B06B1/02—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy
    • B06B1/06—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction
    • B06B1/0644—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element
    • B06B1/0662—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element with an electrode on the sensitive surface
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B06—GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL
    • B06B—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, e.g. FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL
    • B06B1/00—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
    • B06B1/02—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy
    • B06B1/06—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction
    • B06B1/0644—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element
    • B06B1/0662—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element with an electrode on the sensitive surface
    • B06B1/067—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element with an electrode on the sensitive surface which is used as, or combined with, an impedance matching layer
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B06—GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL
    • B06B—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, e.g. FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL
    • B06B1/00—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
    • B06B1/02—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy
    • B06B1/06—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction
    • B06B1/0644—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element
    • B06B1/0662—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element with an electrode on the sensitive surface
    • B06B1/0674—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction using a single piezoelectric element with an electrode on the sensitive surface and a low impedance backing, e.g. air

Definitions

  • One or more embodiments relate to an ultrasonic transducer capable of increasing resolution of an image and an ultrasonic probe including the ultrasonic transducer.
  • ultrasound diagnosis apparatuses transmit ultrasound waves to an object such as a human being or an animal and detect an echo signal reflected by the object to display a cross-sectional image of organs on a monitor and provide information necessary to diagnose the object.
  • ultrasound diagnosis apparatuses include an ultrasonic probe for transmitting the ultrasound wave into the object and receiving the echo signal reflected from the object.
  • an ultrasonic probe includes a piezoelectric layer disposed therein to convert ultrasound signals into electric signals and vice versa, and the piezoelectric layer generally includes an assembly of a plurality of piezoelectric members. Therefore, an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus including such components as described above irradiates ultrasound waves to a target object and converts an echo signal of the ultrasound wave into an electric signal to generate an ultrasound image.
  • An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus using such an ultrasonic probe is widely used for medical usage, for example, detection of impurities in a living body, measuring wounds, observing a tumor, and observing an embryo.
  • One or more embodiments include a transducer from among transducers that is capable of magnifying intensity of ultrasound waves emitted from a certain region, and an ultrasonic probe that includes the transducer.
  • an ultrasonic transducer includes features of the appended independent transducer claim.
  • the piezoelectric layer may include a groove.
  • the dematching layer may be arranged in the groove.
  • the dematching layer may be symmetric about a central axis of the ultrasonic transducer.
  • the first and second thicknesses may be uniform.
  • the first thickness may be greater than the second thickness.
  • a sum of a thickness of the dematching layer and a thickness of the second piezoelectric layer may be equal to or less than a thickness of the first piezoelectric layer.
  • a ratio between the first thickness and the second thickness may be a multiple of 1/4 of a wavelength of the ultrasound wave.
  • the first thickness may be a multiple of 1/2 of a wavelength of the ultrasound wave.
  • the first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer may include a same material.
  • the first piezoelectric layer may contact the second piezoelectric layer.
  • the first piezoelectric layer may be spaced apart from the second piezoelectric layer.
  • the first piezoelectric layer may be spaced apart from the second piezoelectric layer by a distance that is less than a wavelength of the ultrasound wave.
  • the ultrasonic transducer may further include a third piezoelectric layer that has a third thickness and does not overlap the dematching layer.
  • the third thickness may be the same as the first thickness.
  • the ultrasonic transducer may further include an electrode that contacts the piezoelectric layer and the dematching layer.
  • the dematching layer may include a plurality of sub dematching layers that are spaced apart from each other.
  • the first piezoelectric layer of the piezoelectric layer may be arranged between the plurality of sub dematching layers.
  • an ultrasonic probe includes: the above-described ultrasonic transducer; and a matching layer that is disposed on the ultrasonic transducer and matches an acoustic impedance of the ultrasound wave and an acoustic impedance of an object.
  • an "object” may be a human, an animal, or a part of a human or animal.
  • the object may be an organ (e.g., the liver, heart, womb, brain, breast, or abdomen) or a blood vessel.
  • a "user” may be, but is not limited to, a medical expert including a medical doctor, a nurse, a medical laboratory technologist, a medial image expert, or a technician who repairs a medical apparatus.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100 according to an embodiment.
  • the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100 includes an ultrasonic probe 110 for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves, a signal processor 120 for processing a signal applied from the ultrasonic probe 110 to generate an image, a display 130 for displaying the image, a user input unit 140 for receiving an input of a user command, a storage unit 150 storing various pieces of information, and a controller 160 for controlling overall operations of the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100.
  • the ultrasonic probe 110 is an apparatus for transmitting an ultrasound wave to an object and receiving an echo signal of the ultrasound wave that is reflected by the object, and this will be described in detail later.
  • the signal processor 120 processes ultrasound data generated by the ultrasonic probe 110 to generate an ultrasound image.
  • the ultrasound image may be at least one of a brightness mode (B mode) image representing the magnitude of an ultrasound echo signal reflected by an object as brightness, a Doppler mode (D mode) image representing an image of a moving object as a spectrum by using a Doppler effect, a motion mode (M mode) image representing movement of an object at a constant location according to time, an elastic mode image representing a difference between reactions when compression is applied and not applied to an object as an image, and a color mode (C mode) image representing a velocity of a moving object as a color by using a Doppler effect.
  • B mode brightness mode
  • D mode Doppler mode
  • M mode motion mode
  • C mode color mode
  • the ultrasound image is generated by using an ultrasound image generating method that is currently implemented, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. Accordingly, the ultrasound image may be a one-dimensional (1D) image, a two-dimensional (2D) image, a three-dimensional (3D) image, or a four-dimensional (4D) image.
  • the display 130 displays information processed by the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100.
  • the display 130 may display the ultrasound image generated by the signal processor 120, or may display a graphical user interface (GUI) for requesting a user input.
  • GUI graphical user interface
  • the display 130 may include at least one of a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode display, a flexible display, a 3D display, and an electrophoretic display, and in some embodiments, the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100 may include two or more displays 130.
  • the user input unit 140 is a unit to which a user inputs data for controlling the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100.
  • the user input unit 140 may include a keypad, a mouse, a touch panel, a track bump, or the like.
  • the user input unit 140 is not limited to the above examples and may further include various input units such as a jog wheel or a jog switch.
  • the touch panel may detect a proximity touch, that is, a case where a pointer approaches a screen within a predetermined distance, as well as a real touch, that is, a case where the pointer actually touches the screen.
  • the pointer is a tool for touching or proximity touching a certain point of the touch panel, for example, a stylus pen or a body part such as a finger.
  • the touch panel may be realized as a touch screen forming a layer structure with the display 130, and the touch screen may be of various types such as a capacitive overlay type, a resistive overlay type, an infrared beam type, a surface acoustic wave type, an integral strain gauge type, or a piezo electric type.
  • the touch screen may serve as the user input unit 140, as well as the display 130, and thus, may be widely used.
  • the touch panel may include various sensors in or around the touch panel in order to sense a touch input.
  • An example of the sensors for the touch panel to sense the touch input may be a tactile sensor.
  • the tactile sensor senses a contact of a certain material at an intensity that a human being may feel or greater.
  • the tactile sensor may sense various pieces of information such as the roughness of a contact surface, the solidity of a contact material, and the temperature at a contact point.
  • an example of the sensors for the touch panel to sense the touch input may be a proximity sensor.
  • the proximity sensor is a sensor for detecting whether an object approaches a predetermined detection surface or whether the external object is present nearby by using a force of an electromagnetic field or an infrared ray without an actual physical touch.
  • Examples of the proximity sensor include a transparent photoelectric sensor, a direct reflective photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflective photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation photoelectric sensor, a capacitive photoelectric sensor, a magnetic photoelectric sensor, an infrared photoelectric sensor, etc.
  • the storage unit 150 stores various pieces of information processed by the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100.
  • the storage unit 150 may store medical data regarding diagnosis of an object, for example, images, and may store algorithms or programs executed in the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100.
  • the storage unit 150 may include at least one type of a storage medium selected from a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card-type memory (for example, SD, XD memory, etc.), random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk.
  • the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100 may use a web storage or cloud server performing a storage function of the storage unit 150 on the Internet.
  • the controller 160 controls overall operations of the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100. That is, the controller 160 may control operations of the ultrasonic probe 110, the signal processor 120, the display 130, and the like shown in FIG. 1 . For example, the controller 160 may control the signal processor 120 to generate an image by using a user command that is input via the user input unit 140 or a program stored in the storage unit 150. Also, the controller 160 may control the display 130 to display the image generated by the signal processor 120.
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the ultrasonic probe 110 of FIG. 1 .
  • the ultrasonic probe 110 which is a device for transmitting an ultrasound wave to an object 10 and receiving an echo signal reflected by the object 10 to generate ultrasound data, may include a transmitter 210, a transducing unit 220, and a receiver 230.
  • the transmitter 210 supplies a driving signal to the transducing unit 220.
  • the transmitter 210 may include a pulse generator 212, a transmission delay unit 214, and a pulser 216.
  • the pulse generator 212 generates rate pulses for forming a transmission frequency according to a predetermined pulse repetition frequency (PRF).
  • the transmission delay unit 214 applies a delay time for determining transmission directionality to the rate pulses generated by the pulse generator 212.
  • the rate pulses to which the delay time is applied respectively correspond to a plurality of transducers 310 included in the transducing unit 220.
  • the pulser 216 applies driving signals (or driving pulses) to a piezoelectric layer 312 at timings corresponding respectively to the rate pulses, to which the delay time is applied.
  • the transducing unit 220 transmits the ultrasound wave to the object 10 according to the driving signal supplied from the transmitter 210, and receives an echo signal of the ultrasound wave that is reflected by the object 10.
  • the transducing unit 220 may include the plurality of transducers 310 that convert an electric signal to acoustic energy (or vice versa).
  • the receiver 230 processes a signal that is transmitted from the transducing unit 220 to generate ultrasound data.
  • the receiver 230 may include an amplifier 232, an analog digital converter (ADC) 234, a reception delay unit 236, and an adder 238.
  • ADC analog digital converter
  • the amplifier 232 amplifies the signal transmitted from the transducing unit 220, and the ADC 234 performs analog-digital conversion of the amplified signal.
  • the reception delay unit 236 applies a delay time for determining the reception directionality to the digitally converted signal.
  • the adder 238 adds up signals processed by the reception delay unit 236 to generate the ultrasound data. A reflection component from a direction determined by the reception directionality may be emphasized by the adding process of the adder 238.
  • the transmitter 210 and the receiver 230 of the ultrasonic probe 110 may be formed as at least one chip on a substrate.
  • the substrate may include silicon (Si), ceramic, or a polymer-based material.
  • the substrate may include a backing material for absorbing ultrasound waves.
  • Each of the blocks in the transmitter 210 and the receiver 230 may be formed as a chip, or two or more blocks may be formed as a chip.
  • a chip may be formed to correspond to one transducer 310.
  • the substrate including at least one of the transmitter 210 and the receiver 230 is referred to as a chip module substrate.
  • the chip module substrate may denote a substrate including some of the chips included in the ultrasonic probe 110, as well as a substrate including all of the chips included in the ultrasonic probe 110.
  • the ultrasonic probe 110 may further include some components of the signal processor 120, some components of the display 130, and some components of the user input unit 140, in addition to the transmitter 210 and the receiver 230.
  • FIG. 3 partially illustrates a physical configuration of the ultrasonic probe 110 illustrated in FIG. 2 .
  • FIG. 4 illustrates arrangement of the transducers 310 according to an embodiment.
  • the ultrasonic probe 110 may include a transducer 310 for converting an electric signal and an ultrasound wave into each other, and a matching layer 320 on the transducer 310, the matching layer 320 for matching an acoustic impedance of the ultrasound wave generated from the transducer 310 to an acoustic impedance of an object.
  • the transducers 310 may be arranged one-dimensionally in a length direction L of the transducers 310, and those transducers 310 may be referred to as 1D transducers.
  • the 1D transducers may be a linear array or a curved array.
  • the arrangement of the 1D transducers may be variously set according to intention of the designer.
  • the 1D transducers are manufactured easily, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. However, it is difficult to realize a three-dimensional image by using the 1D transducers.
  • the transducers 310 may be arranged two-dimensionally in the length direction L of the transducers 310 and a direction perpendicular to the length direction L. Those transducers 310 may be referred to as 2D transducers.
  • the 2D transducers may be a linear array or a curved array.
  • the arrangement of the 2D transducers may be variously set according to intention of the designer.
  • the 2D transducers appropriately delay input time of signals that are to be respectively input to the transducers 310 and thus transmit the ultrasound waves to the object along an external scan line for transmitting the ultrasound waves. Therefore, a 3D image may be obtained by using a plurality of echo signals.
  • the more transducers 310 the clearer the ultrasound image.
  • the transducer 310 includes the piezoelectric layer 312 that converts an electric signal into an ultrasound wave or converts an ultrasound wave (in detail, an echo of the ultrasound wave) into an electric signal, and a dematching layer 314 on a partial region of the piezoelectric layer 312, the dematching layer 314 for reflecting an incident ultrasound wave.
  • the piezoelectric layer 312 may include a material causing a piezoelectric phenomenon.
  • the material may include at least one of PZT and a single crystal, such as ZnO, AIN, PbZrTiO 3 (PZT), PbLaZrTiO 3 (PLZT), BaTiO 3 (BT), PbTiO 3 (PT), Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -PbTiO 3 (PMN-PT), and PIN-PMN-PT.
  • a groove may be in the bottom surface of the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the dematching layer 314 may be disposed in the groove.
  • the dematching layer 314 may reflect an ultrasound wave transmitted in a direction opposite to the object.
  • the dematching layer 314 may improve acoustic characteristics of the ultrasound wave.
  • the dematching layer 314 does not substantially convert an electric signal and an ultrasound wave into each other, the dematching layer 314 vibrates with the piezoelectric layer 312 and allows the ultrasound wave to be generated from the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the dematching layer 314 may be a part of the transducer 310.
  • An acoustic impedance of the dematching layer 314 may be greater than or the same as an acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the acoustic impedance of the dematching layer 314 may be twice as much as the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric layer 312 or greater.
  • the dematching layer 314 may include a material such as tungsten carbide.
  • the dematching layer 314 may be on a partial region of the bottom surface of the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the transducer 310 may further include a first electrode 316a on a rear surface of the transducer 310 and a second electrode 316b on the top surface of the transducer 310.
  • One of the first and second electrodes 316a and 316b may correspond to a positive electrode (or a signal electrode) of the piezoelectric layer 312, and the other may correspond to a negative electrode (or a ground electrode) of the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the first and second electrodes 316a and 316b may be wired by a known means such as the chip module substrate.
  • the matching layer 320 transfers an ultrasound wave to the object or reduces loss of an ultrasound wave transferred from the object.
  • the acoustic impedances of the object and the piezoelectric layer 312 may be matched by adjusting physical parameters such as speed of sound, thickness, and acoustic impedance regarding the matching layer 320. That is, the matching layer 320 controls reflection of the ultrasound wave due to a difference between the acoustic impedance of the object and the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the matching layer 320 may include a single layer or may have a multi-layered structure.
  • the ultrasonic probe 110 may further include an acoustic lens (not shown) for focusing the ultrasound wave.
  • the acoustic lens is disposed on the top surface of the piezoelectric layer 312 and focuses the ultrasound wave generated from the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the acoustic lens may include a material such as silicon rubber having acoustic impedance that is close to that of the object. Also, the center of the acoustic lens may be convex or flat.
  • the acoustic lens may have various shapes according to the design of a designer.
  • the ultrasonic probe 110 may further include a backing layer 330 that prevents image distortion by absorbing the ultrasound wave travelling to the rear of the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the backing layer 330 may absorb the ultrasound wave that is transmitted in a direction opposite to the object and is not directly used in a test or diagnosis.
  • the backing layer 330 may support the piezoelectric layer 312 and the dematching layer 314 from below.
  • a groove is in the bottom surface of the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the dematching layer 314 may be disposed in the groove.
  • the dematching layer 314 may be symmetric about a central axis X of the ultrasonic probe 110.
  • the central axis X of the ultrasonic probe 110 may be parallel to a height direction of the ultrasound wave emitted from the ultrasonic probe 110.
  • the piezoelectric layer 312 may include a first piezoelectric layer 312a that has a first thickness t1 and does not overlap the dematching layer 314, a second piezoelectric layer 312b that has a second thickness t2 and overlaps the dematching layer 314, and a third piezoelectric layer 312c that has a third thickness t3 and does not overlap the dematching layer 314.
  • Each of the first to third thicknesses t1 to t3 may be uniform.
  • the first thickness t1 and the third thickness t3 may be the same as each other, and the second thickness t2 may be less than the first thickness t1.
  • the first thickness t1 and the third thickness t3 may be multiples of 1/2 of a wavelength of the ultrasound wave converted in the piezoelectric layer 312.
  • the first and third thicknesses t1 and t3 may be 1/2 of the wavelength of the ultrasound wave.
  • the wavelength of the ultrasound wave is a wavelength of the ultrasound wave emitted from the ultrasonic probe 110.
  • a ratio between the first thickness t1 and the second thickness t2 may be a multiple of 1/4 of a wavelength of the ultrasound wave. In an embodiment, the ratio between the first thickness t1 and the second thickness t2 may be 1/4 of the wavelength of the ultrasound wave. Also, the sum of a thickness t4 of the dematching layer 314 (hereinafter referred to as a 'fourth thickness') and the second thickness t2 may be the same as the first thickness t1. Since the sum of the second thickness t2 and the fourth thickness t4 is the same as the first and third thicknesses t1 and t3, the first to third piezoelectric layers 312a to 312c may vibrate with respect to the ultrasound wave of the same wavelength.
  • the first to third piezoelectric layers 312a to 312c may include the same material as each other.
  • a groove may be formed in a piezoelectric material to form the first to third piezoelectric layers 312a to 312c.
  • the first to third piezoelectric layers 312a to 312c may be combined with each other to form one piezoelectric layer 312.
  • at least two of the first to third piezoelectric layers 312a to 312c may include different materials from each other.
  • a width of the second piezoelectric layer 312b is related to a width, the number of piezoelectric devices, etc. of a neighboring piezoelectric layer, for example, the first piezoelectric layer 312a or the third piezoelectric layer 312c.
  • t1 denotes a thickness of the first piezoelectric layer 312a
  • t2 denotes a thickness of the second piezoelectric layer 312b
  • N 312a denotes the number of first piezoelectric layers 312a
  • N 312b denotes the number of second piezoelectric layers 312b
  • N 312c denotes the number of third piezoelectric layers 312c
  • W 312a denotes a width of the first piezoelectric layer 312a.
  • the dematching layer 314 is disposed at the center of the piezoelectric layer 312, the ultrasound wave incident on the dematching layer 314 is reflected.
  • intensity of the ultrasound wave incident on the object may reach the maximum at a central axis. This may decrease side lobe and thus improve beam directionality.
  • a length with respect to a focal range may be increased, and an effect of transducers arranged in 1.25 dimension or 1.5 dimension may be expected from one-dimensionally arranged transducers.
  • apodization may improve.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates the ultrasonic probe 110 according to another embodiment. Comparing FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 with each other, at least two of first to third piezoelectric layers 412a to 412c included in the ultrasonic probe 110 may be separate from each other. Although FIG. 5 illustrates all of the first to third piezoelectric layers 412a to 412c separate from each other, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Two of the first to third piezoelectric layers 412a to 412c may be separate from each other. The separation distance may be less than a wavelength of an ultrasound wave.
  • the sum of thicknesses of a dematching layer 414 and the second piezoelectric layer 412b is the same as thicknesses of the first piezoelectric layer 412a and the third piezoelectric layer 412c
  • material composition of the dematching layer 414 is different from a piezoelectric layer 412, and accordingly, cross talk may occur between ultrasound waves.
  • FIG. 5 when the first to third piezoelectric layers 412a to 412c are separate from each other, occurrence of the cross talk may decrease.
  • FIGS. 6 to 8 each illustrate an ultrasonic probe according to another embodiment.
  • a dematching layer 514 may include a plurality of sub dematching layers that are separate from each other.
  • the dematching layer 514 may include a first dematching layer 514a and a second dematching layer 514b that are separate from each other.
  • the first and second dematching layers 514a and 514b may be symmetric about a central axis.
  • a partial region of a piezoelectric layer 512 may be between the first and second dematching layers 514a and 514b.
  • the piezoelectric layer 512 may include a first piezoelectric layer 512a that overlaps the first dematching layer 514a, a second piezoelectric layer 512b that does not overlap the dematching layer 514, and a third piezoelectric layer 512c that overlaps the second dematching layer 514b.
  • Thicknesses of the first and third piezoelectric layers 512a and 512c may each be smaller than a thickness of the second piezoelectric layer 512b, and the sum of thicknesses of the first piezoelectric layer 512a and the first dematching layer 514a and the sum of thicknesses of the third piezoelectric layer 512c and the second dematching layer 514b may each be the same as the thickness of the second piezoelectric layer 512b.
  • Intensity of an ultrasound wave emitted from a region in which the dematching layer 514 is disposed may be greater than intensity of an ultrasound wave emitted from a region in which no dematching layer 514 is disposed.
  • the ultrasonic probe of FIG. 6 may have a multi-focal range.
  • the transducer 310 may include first to third dematching layers 614a to 614c that are separate from each other.
  • the second dematching layer 614b may be symmetric about a central axis, and the first and third dematching layers 614a and 614c may be symmetric around the second dematching layer 614b.
  • the ultrasonic probe of FIG. 7 may also have a multi-focal range.
  • the transducer 310 of the ultrasonic probe 110 may be connected to a chip module substrate 340, and the backing layer 330 may be disposed under the chip module substrate 340.
  • the chip module substrate 340 refers to a substrate including at least one chip that processes an electric signal.
  • the chip module substrate 340 may include at least one chip that performs operations of the receiver 230 and the transmitter 210.
  • the chip module substrate 340 may be, but is not limited to, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
  • a position of the backing layer 330 may be different according to factors such as use of an ultrasonic probe.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates the backing layer 330 disposed under the chip module substrate 340, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
  • a substrate of the chip module substrate 340 may include a backing material.
EP16202978.9A 2016-01-28 2016-12-08 Ultrasonic transducer and ultrasonic probe including the same Active EP3199251B1 (en)

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KR1020160010985A KR20170090304A (ko) 2016-01-28 2016-01-28 초음파 트랜스듀서 및 이를 포함하는 초음파 프로브

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US10441974B2 (en) 2019-10-15
EP3199251A1 (en) 2017-08-02
US20170216887A1 (en) 2017-08-03

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